Saturday, June 21, 2008

It’s my pleasure to collaborate with Linnea to bring you this contest, as we eagerly await the imminent release of Shades Of Dark.

First, the goodies…

1st Prize

* signed copy of Shades Of Dark* signed copy of Gabriel’s Ghost* Shades Of Dark tote bag or t-shirt

2nd Prize

* signed copy of Shades Of Dark* Shades Of Dark tote bag or t-shirt

3rd Prize

* Shades Of Dark tote bag or t-shirt

and from me, the host of this contest, each winner will get a beaded bookmark...

Here’s what you’ve got to do…

In “Comments” at the end of this post, tell Linnea which is your favourite Sully-Chaz moment in Gabriel’s Ghost, and why.

Simple, isn’t it? *grin*

Duration of contest…

From 21 June to 5 July 2008, midnight.

We follow the date/time of this blog, which is GMT +8 hours. Check current blog date/time here.

Announcement of winners…

Linnea herself will pick the winning entries. The winners will be announced here on 7 July 2008.

Other details…

* Winners to choose whether they want a tote bag or a t-shirt.* This contest is open to readers worldwide.* You can submit as many entries as you like, but you may win only one prize.* If you have any queries, you can email me: or_et_argent AT yahoo DOT com

That’s it, folks. Have fun and start leafing through Gabriel’s Ghost. I’ll see you all later.

42 comments:

My favorite Sully Chaz moment in Gabriel's Ghost is when everyone on the ship is talking about leaving and they are in Sully's room. I like how Chaz comforts Sully and way Sully who is such a strong hero needs to be comforted.Hope thats a good enough answer because I don't want to give too much about the story away in case someone hasn't read it. This story rocks and it was hard to choose a moment but I'd have to say that was definitely my favorite. Caitlin

"And then I swear three suns went nova, half a galaxy was blown away and the universe shifted at least a hundred feet from where it had been before."

This is a line that absolutely seared itself into my brain. I remember calling my writing partner to read that line to her only to have her laughingly remind me that she'd already READ the book. I loved that moment where Chaz starts gnawing on the idea that maybe being a "R" is not as bad as everyone has been saying (trying not to give too mcuh away).

One of my fave reads and a definite keeper... even if I do want more of the "Finders Keepers" world, DANG IT!

Hmmm...I may have to enter several tmes. There are many moments in the book that are special to me.

The first is when Sully rescues Chaz from Moabar. Sully has come back from cleaning up after killing the jukor. Chaz has just changed clothes and cleaned up a little bit herself. Sully comes to her room, grabs her comb, unravels her braid, and begins to braid it again with the leather and shiny silver beads.

" "Hush, hush, hush." Softly. His voice was not much more than a deep rumble in his throat. His hands were firm, yet more gentle than I thought he could be. And warm. A whisper of soft heat played down my neck where his fingers brushed against my skin. I didn't pull away when they stroked my hair, my scalp, the back of my neck."

This scene touches me because I can imagine how Sully feels after not seeing Chaz for 2 years. He finally has her where he can touch her, but how to talk to her, where to begin? And then, as that scene plays out, Chaz wants to stay right where she is feeling the sensations of warmth and intimacy when she suddenly remembers her confusion and distrust because she doesn't understand Sully's role in her life yet. This scene takes on even more poignancy at the end of the book when Sully lets Chaz see in her mind exactly what he was seeing and thinking as he braided her hair that night: "Mine. All that I am is yours." Even though the words were not said out loud for Chaz to hear, that was the first time he offered himself and his love to her.

I can even tell you the page that has my favorite Sully/Chaz moment. Granted, this is the ARC of Gabriel's Ghost that I was given, so the page number in the book that eventually landed on bookstore shelves might not have the same pages, but still. It's page 173 when Sully says "Tell me to wait" and Chaz says "I don't want to wait" and from there, they have some seriously hot, sweaty monkey-love! Woo-hoo!But to be honest, I loved the whole book, and Sully is my favorite of Linnea's male characters, so I am a bit biased. It's all so good, you know?!DeAnn Rossetti

I love so many parts of Gabriel's Ghost, but the bit that came to mind first was after Sully apologized for invading Chaz's mind."He was staying out of my mind, out of my senses. Totally. Because of my fears, and his. Because I'd ordered him to.A good captain knows when to recind an order.I placed my lips almost against his. "sully. It's okay. I love you too."There was a small intake of breath, then a question as he let the breath out again. "You're sure?""Yes.""I've gone back to read the impressionistic poem that follows many times.

there's one scene always entering my mind. I tried to think of other scenes, but this one always comes first.

It starts on page 31 in GG: Sully and Chaz are standing before the mirror and he's braiding her hair. there is so much tenderness and passion, that it truly touched me on a very deep level. It also got me completely hooked on the book.

Like a ship sliding toward the edge of a jumpgate, we'd cautiously approached this point where love and trust and faith merged. We could only pass through it together. That was his offer. All of him. For all of me.

I also like the scene were Sully is braiding Chaz's hair. It was the first kindness anyone had shown her since the sentencing to a prison planet, and he seemed to know it was what she needed. She was tired enough to let it happen without her brain getting in the way.

One of my favourite moments between Sully and Chaz is in Gabriel’s Ghost on Pg 96

“All of life’s a risk,” he said softly. “I’m about to take a big one.”

He pulled me against him, his arms locking around me. His mouth covered mine, taking in my gasp of surprise. He answered with a kiss I remembered well, a kiss of intense passion, his tongue stroking, probing. His hands splayed on my back, pushing me against the hard planes of his body.

Heat seared, flared through my senses as if I were absorbing it from his touch. For a moment I was lost, breathless, dizzy, as if I’d downed a bottle of honeylace…

There’s something so sensual about that scene that makes me feel almost breathless.

For all that GG is so deeply passionate, I also love the parts that break the tension a little bit, like when Chaz talks about "...his wicked Sully grin." For example, Sully is talking about having to track down Chaz in a posh club on Baris Prime or in a casino on Garno if she were Philip's widow. A ghost from Hell trying to seduce the beautiful, young widow. Chaz laughs and reminds him that that was Philip's life not hers. She goes on to ask if all the chasing around they have done is Sully's way of seducing a woman. Sully grins his wicked Sully grin and says he is unique. No one else in the universe will ever love her the way he does. And then the best part is when he says to Chaz, you forgot about the jukor. Amazing the lengths a man will go to in order to get a woman to run into his arms. Chaz says I didn't run, you pushed me. Sully: a minor point. I love the humor and Sully's poetic turn of phrase!

My favorite moment is when Sully and Chaz come across Chaz's former husband Philip. That was a very big surprise. I like big unexpected surprises in the plot. And it was one which has even given birth to a book!Gerard

Gabriel's Ghost is my favorite book by Linnea Sinclair. I can't wait for Shades of Dark. One of my favorite scenes is when Sully Chaz are in her brother's office on the space station after she realizes Sully has "wings". It is a very intense scene and Chaz is shaken up by what she just experienced but she immediately starts to come around and realize that she loves Sully regardless of what he is.

Oddly my favorite Chaz-Sully moment is one of their (many) arguments. The one after she realizes he's a telepath and chews him out for invading her mind without asking. She storms out of the room yelling, "How in hell would you know what hurts me? You never even bothered to ask?"

To me, they make a real connection there for one of the first times. Sully is always so in charge and Chaz is forced to play catch-up. In this scene I just like that she lays it on the line for him. Proving she's nobody's fool. Awesome.

OK, i finally have my book with me and can look up the scenes. The bad thing is I have to choose between three or four. I think my favorite is probably when they were in Port Chalo where Sully drinks honeylace to get the courage to kiss Chaz, but Chaz thinks the drink has more to do with it than who he's with. Sigh, that sort of misunderstanding seems to sum up the relationship for much of the book, and that scene is full of pent up emotions. Absorbing stuff!

It is so very hard for me to pick a favorite moment because I adore all of GG and all their moments! I love the first time they make love too (yes, that 'And then I swear three suns went nova, half a galaxy was blown away and the universe shifted at least a hundred feet from where it had been before' is just sooo fabulous--it such the perfect expression of feelings that have built for so long) but I also love Chaz's inner struggle to come to terms with who Sully really is....and their working through issue after issue as they open to their love for each other. I love Chaz's way of reaching out to him after their darkest moments as she deals with her own inner fears, feeling her way to him, opening to trust. It so mirrors our own growth process...stepping past our programming to move into our wholeness. Linnea weaves that throughout the story sooooo incredibly well.

So, I guess I'd have to say one of my favorite moments (out of so many) is the sequence of events when Chaz first learns Sully can do the Zral on Kingswell and Tessa Paxton...and afterwards as she's dealing with that...and is discovering who he is--she reacts with such fear and anguish and he feels so rejected. Then Ren gently talks with her on the bridge, helps her to understand some of what is going on, some of what Sully went through to get her off Moabar...and she goes to Sully where he's standing against the bulkhead...and reaches to him with her love. Ohhhh....nice.

And then another one...after the first encounter with Philip...when out of anguish, Sully rips into Chaz's mind and she knows he's there...and she learns the full truth of him...that he is a Ragkiril...and she has to sort through all of that then goes to him again...and they reach to each other. Ahhhhhh. Nice. The coming together after that: "Warmth cascaded, surging. Warmth, cresting into heat. Warmth, cleansing, curing, healing. Melting pain...melting aches. etc etc." Very very amazing writing! Says it all!

Just cannot wait for "Shades" but GG will always be first in my heart. It is one of my favorite books of all time.

I loved Gabriel's Ghost and am very glad that the sequel will be out soon. I am also looking forward to Philip's story in Hope's Folly. By the way, I hope we get to see more of Ren in the next two books because I really liked him, too.

I don't think there's one scene, the whole book was so masterful at gradually revealing Sully's nature and also seeing Chaz's feelings grow. I did think the scene where they are working together to destroy the lab was amazing (talk about mixed emotions, so sad they had to kill the woman and so glad they were successful) and the resulting chase was so exciting.

I would like to win because I have never read any of your books. I don't have any money to buy your books (I lost my job last year). Because I have never read your books, I don't have a favorite moment. Thanks for the giveaway! I'm sure your readers will love to win another one of your books!